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I read grand jury presentments so you don’t have to waste your evenings.
You can feel free to go about your business, folding clothes or doing puzzles while I do the “light reading.”
Last week’s release of a presentment from a Harrisburg Grand Jury would give Danielle Steele a run for her money. Kept women. Greed. Betrayal. Dirty deeds done at a high price.
And there on page 58, it all hit home. Literally. One of our frequent guests made the presentment, although this is not something to give us pride here in NEPA.
His name is Carl Romanelli, and he ran for United States Senate in Pennsylvania in 2006. Political thugs from the party he used to love, however, had other ideas.
The Romanelli name is well known to newspaper readers in Luzerne County. Carl Romanelli was a long-time news guy. His son, also Carl, has been a political activist for years. In 2000, he became despondent over his beloved Democratic party’s capitulation of the presidential election. He joined the Green Party and began working actively for a cause I think we can all support: Good government. Carl has a love of civics that’s probably unmatched. Over the many years he has been my guest, I have to admit I’m not in agreement over the way he views some issues, but I admire his tenacity in the political arena. He truly is a fighter and an advocate. He holds a set of core beliefs and truly believes in a government by the people and for the people.
In 2006, he had the audacity to run for United States Senate on the Green Party ticket. He was required to meet a threshold of 67,070 signatures in order to secure a ballot spot. Carl got 94,544. Guess who sharpened the razor to keep him off the ballot? Yep, his former pals in the Democrat party.
Romanelli fought like a tiger and had a skilled attorney at his side. However, the cards were clearly stacked against him. According to the Harrisburg Grand Jury presentment, Democrats employed by the state of Pennsylvania wanted to secure a monster victory for Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. The grand jury wrote that Romanelli’s presence on the ballot would draw votes “at the expense of the Democratic candidate.” The jury determined there was a concerted and orchestrated effort by several employees of some powerful Democrats to play a game of Keep Away from Carl.
As soon as Romanelli’s nominating petitions were filed, they were delivered to the offices of Bill Deweese. A meeting was conducted and 30 staffers were reportedly present. The call went out to go over Romanelli’s petitions with a fine tooth comb looking for objectionable signatures. On the taxpayers’ dime and with the precision of an assembly line, a challenge was orchestrated by this hardworking group of employees who really should have been working on behalf of the people of the commonwealth. Your interests, however, were never considered. The challenge was completed in one week and the mission was accomplished. Commonwealth Court Judge James Kelly threw Carl Romanelli off the ballot. The state’s Supreme Court agreed. They also said Romanelli could be liable for up to $1 million in court costs. That stings, and also keeps candidates away from challenging the system. Romanelli’s story was told in a documentary called “It Ain’t Easy Being Green.”
The story of Carl Romanelli is far from over. His lawyer continues to fight for him in courts beyond Pennsylvania’s rugged political landscape. He wonders what sitting Sen. Bob Casey thinks about what people said in a closed jury room about the effort to get him elected. And, he ponders his next move in light of what the jury discovered.
Carl Romanelli and I stand miles apart on issues. We disagree on the Iraq War, abortion and drug policy. And yet, we spent election night together in a Wilkes-Barre tavern with nary a cross word.
That’s because we do agree that the fundamental principles of democracy and a level playing field need protection by people of all political stripes. And, we both realize those who hold the keys to the kingdom are squandering the treasure. |
Rush Limbaugh
